Hey Gary,
Not just a rumor. Willie did win the "60 Classic" High Roller for 10k. He was using the New Breed Particle Pearl with a RICO layout for most of the tournament, but also used one with an arc layout I believe.
It was a pretty wild tournament in that he was almost knocked out of the first round when he beat Jocko Mangin by 1 pin (216-215). After that, he put on a show and won his matches by 75, 63, 46, 26, and 54 pins respectively. He averaged almost 240 for that tournament.
It's also good to note that Lonnie Sharkey won the "50" tune up with the Frankie May Gryphon, and took 4th in the "50 Classic" High Roller. I also just found out that he won the BTM tournament at nationals with the Frankie May Signature Gryphon as well.
Jason